How to Plan a Community Baby Quilt

Baby quilts are always well loved gifts, but they can be challenging for a busy individual to put together alone. This plan, however, will keep you from taking on too much quilting at once and provide baby and parents alike with a tangible symbol that the child is welcome and loved. The idea here is to gather family and friends of the expectant parents to help with the quilt.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Willing participants
• Quilting materials and supplies
• Fabric markers

1. Find out what color scheme is planned for the baby's room. If you can't get the information, or there's been no decision, select your own color pallet based on the expectant parents' household decorating, general color preferences, or personal interests.
2. Contact the friends and family of the expecting family for help. You'll definitely want to consider any crafty people, but don't limit yourself. Even the most inexperienced person can be helpful with choosing block patterns, selecting fabrics or carefully stitching the binding down. Basic block piecing is easily learned, as well.
3. Decide on the block size (the sample above used 9-inch finished blocks) and whether or not you want to use a single block pattern and/or unified selection of fabrics. Your other option is to allow each contributor to select their own fabrics and patterns using only the guidelines of the selected color pallet.
4. Set a deadline for the blocks to get back to you from all contributors. Be sure to leave enough time after the deadline for you to piece the quilt top together, quilt it and bind it.
5. Design the quilt top. Once your contributors have given you all their blocks (and of course, you've added in your own blocks as well) it's time to design the finished product. On a bed or floor, spread out the blocks in rows and columns, as they will appear in the quilt. This is your chance to rearrange things, try different designs, turn the blocks in different directions, and select any sashing you'd like to place between blocks.
6. Sew the whole thing together. Just as with any quilt, you'll piece the top together, layer it with batting and backing fabric, baste it, quilt it and bind the edges.
7. Label the quilt with information the parents (and baby) will want to keep up with. You might include the baby's name and birth date if you didn't finish the quilt before the birth. You may also want to include the names of all who worked on the quilt with you. Fabric pens make an excellent way of preserving the memories.
8. Present the gift to the lucky parents and baby. These community made quilts really become a treasure to the receiving family. Your work will be remembered often.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure you know the parents enough to understand their tastes. Not all new parents like the pastels and typical baby-styled fabrics.
• Carefully consider your timeline when planning so you don't become overwhelmed.